How Do You Write a Letter of Consent?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

A letter of consent is a letter written by a person authorizing a particular action by another individual. The most important aspect of a consent letter is that it must indicate that the individual referred to in the letter is being given permission to perform a certain action. Types of consent letters include travel consent letters, consent for visa passes and consent letters for an experiment.

A travel consent letter is typically written by parents or guardians authorizing their children to travel outside the country. Travel consent letters are required by most immigration authorities for children traveling to foreign countries without their parents or guardians. Such consent letters usually need to be sworn by a commissioner for oaths or notarized to be considered legally acceptable; otherwise, such a letter may be invalid.

A letter of consent is an ethical requirement for all types of psychological research as it indicates that the participants gave the interviewers’ permission to interview them and use the data gathered during the research. It also shows that the participants are informed about what the experiment entails and about their rights as participants.

Another type of consent letter is one that allows a dependant to work in a foreign country.